The Breathing Thing, Part One of Two

Breath. The word is not the thing. Nor does the word refer to the thing itself.

We cannot see breath with our eyes. We cannot imagine it. The word “breath” refers to an abstract concept in our mind.

[There is no image of breath to insert here]

 Breathing is a thing. The word “breathing” isn’t the thing; it refers to the thing.

And here’s the thing: breathing happens. We can see, hear, feel, and smell it. But it’s not an object. We cannot hold it in our hand. We cannot put breathing in a box and sell it.

Breathing is a meeting. It is a narrative with many participants. In non-technical terms, the narrative goes like this:

Diaphragm draws downward. Belly and lungs expand outward. Air responds and flows into nostrils downward into lungs. As air fills lungs, lungs expand making room for air. Diaphragm pauses a split second, relaxes, and pushes upward. In response to diaphragm’s push, lungs contract; air retreats from lungs and flows out nostrils. Diaphragm draws downward again…

The narrative of breathing is cyclic. Like the cycles of seasonal winds, each cycle is unique.

Part Two is about the importance of how we treat everyone we breathe with.